Flight Tracking System

Identified the pain point of manually checking flight statuses. Researched available flight APIs (AviationStack, FlightAware) and notification providers.

Tested multiple flight data APIs for accuracy and rate limits. Selected AviationStack for real-time data. Chose Twilio for SMS and SendGrid for email notifications.

Built the Express.js server with RESTful endpoints for flight search, tracking subscriptions, and notification triggers. Implemented request validation and error handling.

Integrated Twilio SMS and SendGrid email APIs. Built a queue system for batching notifications and avoiding rate limits. Added retry logic for failed deliveries.

Built the React dashboard with real-time flight path visualisation, departure/arrival boards, and a flight search interface with autocomplete.

Implemented WebSocket connections for live flight status updates. Added push notification support for delay and gate change alerts.

Simulated various flight scenarios (delays, cancellations, diversions). Stress-tested notification delivery under high load. Achieved 99.5% delivery rate.

Moved all API keys server-side, implemented rate limiting, added input sanitisation, and enforced HTTPS. Removed all hardcoded credentials.

Restructured to a monorepo with shared types between frontend and backend. Improved developer experience with unified linting and build scripts.

Deployed to Vercel with environment-based configs. Added health check endpoints and basic uptime monitoring.